Latch.



No. 889,744. PATENTED DEC. 25, 1906. B. .L. FIELD.

LATCH.

APPLICATION FILED MAR.81,1906.

W1 :11 use:

UNITED STATES ATENT QFFICE.

LATCH.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Dec. 25, 1906.

Application filed March 31, 1906. Serial No. 309,186.

To ctZZ whom, it may concern:

Be it known that I, BERTRAND L. FIELD, a citizen of the United States,residing at h Iinneapolis, in the county of Hennepin and State ofMinnesota, have invented new and useful Improvements in Latches, ofwhich the following is a specification.

This invention relates to latches especially designed for use inconnection with stormdoors, screen-doors, gates, and the like, theobject of the invention being to provide a simple, cheap, and effectivelatch which is perfectly automatic in action and which will securelyhold to the door and permit the same to be opened by exerting thenecessary force against the door, the latch having employed inconnection therewith a lock or movable stop which cooperates with thelatch element in such manner as to permit the door to be closed andlatched, but which will prevent the door from being opened by a personoutside thereof after the door has been closed.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 is a view in elevation of thelatch, showing the same applied to the inner face of the door andconnected with the door j amb or frame. Fig. 2 is a view in elevation ofthe latch element and the parts associated therewith detached. Fig. 3 isa detail perspective view of the hook member.

The latch contemplated in this invention comprises, essentially, abracket 1, consisting of a plate bent or ofiset intermediate its ends toform an attaching-base 2, provided with holes 3 to receive screws orother fasteners 4, whereby it is secured to the door jamb or frame inthe manner illustrated in Fi 1. wa rdly-extending portion or bracket-arm5, which stands at a suitable distance from the adjacent face of thedoor-frame, as shown in Fig. 1, to enable the latch element to beinterposed between said arm and the doorframe.

The latch element 6 is of oblong form, and in the preferred embodimentof the invention consists of a metal stripprovided with a longitudinalslot 7 and secured to the bracketarm 5 by means of a pin or rivet 8,which passes through the slot 7 whereby the latch element is adapted tomove lengthwise on the pin 8 and also to swing from one side to theother.

The latch element is provided at its upper end with a catch-lip 9,extending substantially at a right angle therefrom toward the door- Thebracket also comprises the up-- frame, which is indicated by the numeral10, the door being shown at 11.

At its opposite end the latch element 6 is provided with a lateralprojection or lug 12, to which is connected one end of a spiral spring13, the opposite end of which is connected at 14 to the bracket 1, thetension of said spring being exerted to hold the latch element 6 in theposition shown in Fig. 2- that is, with the pin or rivet 8 lying in theupper end of the slot 7, the catch-lip 9 being depressed to itslowermost position.

15 designates a hook provided with a beveled nose 16 and having anattaching base or shank 17, provided with holes 18 to receive screws orother fasteners 19, whereby the hook is secured to the door 11. The hookis secured 'to the door at such an elevation that the point of the hookextends slightly above the catch-lip 9 of the latch element, so that-when the beveled nose 16 of the hook strikes against the catch-lip 9 itwill first tilt the latch element to one side upon the pin or rivet 8 asthe fulcrum and then pass under and lift the catch-lip 9, forcing thesame upward against the tension of the spring 13 until the hook haspassed entirely under and across the lip 9, whereupon the spring 13 willdraw the latch element downward behind the shoulder of the hook, therebyholding the door closed. To open the door, sufIicient force is exertedagainst the same in an outward direction to cause the shoulder of thehook to swing the latch element to one side by engaging the lip 9thereof. This causes the lip 9 to fulcrum on the flat upper edge of thebody or shank of the hook and causes the lip 9 to tilt upward until thepoint of the hook moves into engagement with the under side of the lip9, whereupon the hook raises the lip and moves the latch element upwardagainst the tension of the spring 13 until it passes out of engagementtherewith, whereupon the latch element is again moved downward by thespring 13 and restored to its normal position.

In order to hold the latch element from swinging in one direction, Iemploy a lock 20 in the form of a movable stop or small lever which isfulcrumed intermediate its ends at 21 on the upwardly-extending arm 5 ofthe bracket 1, and in connection with said movable stop I employ astop-pin 22, which is inserted through the arm 5 of the bracket and, ifdesired, may be sufficiently long to be driven into the door-frame, asshown in Fig.

1. This stop-pin arrests the downward movement of the inner arm of thelever or movable stop, so as to hold the same substantiallyperpendicular to the latch element 6, as shown in dotted lines in Fig.2. When the movable stop or look is in said position, it prevents thelatch element from swinging in such a way as to permit the hook to passout of engagement with the latch element, and in this way the door isheld securely locked. At the same time the lock or movable stop will notprevent the latch element from swinging in the other direction, and thusthe door may be closed and latched but prevented from again being openeduntil the lock or movable stop is swung to the position indicated infull lines in Fig. 2.

In order to adapt the latch to both right and left hand doors, anadditional hole 23 for pin 22 is provided in the bracket, so as toarrest the movement of the inner arm of the movable stop and prevent thesame from dropping downward too far when the bracket 1 is reversed orturned upside down. Thus the only change necessary to adapt the latch toright and left hand doors is to reverse the position of the bracket 1,turning the same end for end upside down and inserting the stop-pin 22in the proper hole in the bracket to sustain the lock or movable stop ina substantially horizontal position, as indicated in dotted lines inFig. 2.

I claim- 1. A latch comprising a swinging and sliding latch element, ahook cooperating therewith, means for resisting the movement of thelatch element, and a movable stop for arresting the swinging movement ofthe latch in one direction.

2. Alatch comprising a supporting-bracket, a latch element mountedthereon and having a pin-and-slot connection therewith whereby it isadapted to slide and swing on the supportingbracket, a spring forresisting the movement of the latch element, a hook cooperating with thelatch element, and a look ing device in the form of a movable stopmounted on the supporting-bracket and adapted to prevent the latchelement from swinging in a direction which will release the hook.

In testimony whereof I affiX my signature in presence of two witnesses.

BERTRAND L. FIELD.

Witnesses:

M. J. BYRNE, WM. 0. SALMON.

